Essay on Clinical Trial Study of Cancer: Assessing Treatment Convenience & Types

Part A

The clinical trial study is a type of research dedicated in evaluating the process of test and treatment to patients in a health care facility. It is used to assess the convenience of treatment offered. The observational approach of the clinical trial study is categorized into various types including; cohorts, cross-sectional and case-study relevant, which entail the practical and appropriate methods to study a particular problem (Mann, 2003). The key objective in a different clinical study is based on the incidence, cause, prevalence, prognosis and the effect of diagnosis and treatment to a particular patient. Therefore, it is worthwhile to consider an appropriate study method associated with the objectives of the research.

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Cohort study design in nursing statistics is relatively useful in cases involving a group of patients. This method is used in determining the incidence and historical occurrence of a specified condition or illness chronologically. The cross-sectional studies are primarily used to evaluate the number of outcomes in a population at a given period known as prevalence or commonness as opposed to a cohort study. Contrary to both cohorts and cross-sectional study, the case study design is usually retrospective (Chen, 2013). The case study involves the identification of two groups with different outcomes and compared based on their hypothetical causal characteristics. On comparison, the three categories of clinical trial study use observational approach to acquire information.

Part B: Use of Cohort Design to Study the Effects of Alcohol Use on Bladder Cancer.

The cohort study design is presumed as the most appropriate scientific method to measure the rate at which particular factor contribute to risk. The technique was used to determine the effects of alcohol consumption on bladder cancer in the Netherlands. The study was conducted among 120,852 individuals aged between 55 and 69 years. Those individuals filled a questionnaire on alcohol and cancer risk associated with its consumption. In the study, doctors followed up a cohort analysis for about six years based on 594 bladder cancer cases. In this case, doctors defined the study population using the cohort design basing their investigation on the subject of interest and in this case, it was alcohol consumption and the effects on the bladder (Zeegers, Volovics, Dorant, Alexandra Goldbohm & van den Brandt, 2001). Doctors used a questionnaire that was self-administered that involved the risk factor of the subject. Consumption of alcoholic drinks which included, beer, wine and liquor were considered as the critical aspect in the study where the data filled twice in the questionnaire and standardized and later analyzed to draw a widespread assumption on the effects.

Part C: Steps to Ensure Ethical Conduct in the Cohort Design

Ethical conduct is a crucial aspect to consider when conducting clinical study or research to ensure respect for human. Ethics are a set of principles that ensure human development in every aspect of social life. In the field of nursing, ethics were first outlined in "Nightingale Pledge" in 1983 (Thakker & Read, 2010), which led to the development of professional, ethical codes of conduct. In the study conducted by doctors to evaluate the effects of alcohol on bladder cancer, various steps were followed to ensure ethical conduct.

The first step involved designing an excellent research question on which to examine. The researcher should prepare in advance on the group of people to interview during the research. The clinical department should approve whether the research is ethical and respect human social life. Then the actual process of conducting the study and collection of data which should ensure confidentiality and later analyzation process to form a conclusion.

Ethical principles in the Belmont Report included; respect for persons which states that each person has the right and capacity to make decisions. The beneficence principle states that the primary goal of the researchers is to have the welfare of the research participants in other clinical study trails (Thakker & Read, 2010). Justice in research ensures researchers select participants in a fair manner and perfect distribution of risk when conducting the research.

Part D: Calculating the Standard Deviation.

The standard deviation is the measure of how numbers are spread obtained by the formula below:

s=1Ni=1N(xi-)2where is the standard deviation, is the mean, N is the total number of entries, and x is the individual value of an entry given by 4, 56, 20, 11, 92, 36

Step 1: Work out the mean, = 4+56+20+11+92+36 = 219

219 6 = 36.5

Step 2: Subtract each number by mean and square the answer

4 - 36.5 = (-32.5) 2 = 1056.25

56 - 36.5 = (19.5) 2 = 380.25

20 - 36.5 = (-16.5) 2 = 272.25

11 - 36.5 = (-25.5) 2 = 650.25

92 - 36.5 = (55.5) 2 = 3080.25

36 - 36.5 = (-0.5) 2 0.25

Step 3: Calculate the mean of the squared differences

The mean is calculated by adding all the squared differences the divided by the total number of entries. N

1056.25 + 380.25 + 272.25 + 650.25 + 3080.25 + 0.25 = 5439.5

5439.5 6 = 906.58

Step 4: Calculate the square root of the answer

906.58 = 30.12

= 30.12

References

Chen, H. (2013). Within-person vs. traditional study designs: How to evaluate study designs?. Journal Of Clinical Epidemiology, 66(3), 350-351. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2012.04.018

Mann, C. (2003). Observational research methods. Research design II: cohort, cross sectional, and case-control studies. Emergency Medicine Journal, 20(1), 54-60. doi: 10.1136/emj.20.1.54

Thakker, N., & Read, A. (2010). Ethical Issues in Conducting Genetic Research: Commentary. Research Ethics, 6(3), 101-102. doi: 10.1177/174701611000600308

Zeegers, M., Volovics, A., Dorant, E., Alexandra Goldbohm, R., & van den Brandt, P. (2001). Alcohol Consumption and Bladder Cancer Risk: Results from the Netherlands Cohort Study. American Journal Of Epidemiology, 153(1), 38-41. doi: 10.1093/aje/153.1.38